Photo a day may #19

Somewhere you love....

I feel so at home here. But in general, I love most places in Cornwall.

Photo a day may #18

Something you've made....

I'm not very creative but I am quite proud of my blog and really love blogging. It's becoming quite the obsession!

My Favourite Lip Products.

I'm not a huge day-to-day lipstick wearer, but always love to have something on my lips. I have searched the world over (exaggeration!) for a light healthy looking 'gloss', without being a gloss, and I believe I have found it....have a look at my top 4 products plus my new cant-live-without lip treat.

l-r clarins instant light natural lip perfecter in 02

mac lipstick in hue

philosophy flavoured lip shine in melon daiquiri

mac lipstick in vegas volt

l-r mac hue

melon daiquiri

vegas volt

lip perfecter

This clarins product is my new must-have lip treat! I really really love it. I have his is the shade 'apricot shimmer 02' and it's really a strange thing to describe. It's not a balm, but has lip balm soothing and nourishing effects, but it's not a gloss. It gives the lips a healthy sheen but not shiny or sticky like a gloss (i hate wearing gloss on my lips) It's really flattering and just feels lovely. Comes in 3 shades and is available from boots for £16.

I don't feel like philosophy lip products are really anything special in terms of what they do to your lips, I don't find them particularly nourishing on my lips and because it's more of a gloss it doesn't last very long. However, all those rules go out the window with this product purely because of the taste! When you smell or taste this you literally want to eat it, very water-meloney and just delishious. The shimmer in this lip shine is quite impressive and does look gorgeous on as it's my favourite kind of lip colour-coral. Highly recommended or a summery fresh lip.

I won't go on too much about the lipsticks as ive written about them a lot, there is a review and photo of vegas volt on my lips here. I will just say...i love them both!

Surfy waves.

I've always wanted curly hair, so when I have a bit of free time I love making my hair look like this! I can't remember what the tool is called (as my mum bought it for me to use for my school prom 8 years ago!) but it's similar to the Enrapture tool.

FOTD: 16.05.12

Just a quick Face Of The Day for you :) I'm heading off to work in an hour so it's not the most exciting of looks, but does the job. It's been gorgeous weather the past couple of days here in Cornwall so I've definitely been introducing a bronzer look back into my make-up routine.

(Woah you can see the sun has been out-check out those freckles!)

products used:

liz earle moisturiser

garnier bb cream in light

estee lauder eye brightner in light

soliel tan de chanel

chanel blush in reflex

MAC mineralized skin finish in soft & gentle

soap & glory smolder eye pencil

lash curlers

no7 exquisit lash in black.

*I've also straightened my hair using my GHD's which I don't usually do as I don't like slick-straight hair on me but I didn't have a choice this morning as I was sporting a rather frizzy mop when I woke up!

Hope you have a lovely day today & I hope the sun is shining where you are too!

NOTD: Nails Inc Bruton Street.

This polish came with the 'Vintage Rose' collection I got recently from QVC. This was my favourite colour, just looking at the bottles. I was slightly disappointed as the name 'Vintage Rose' made me think of pinks?! This shade is still one of my favourite Nails Inc colours to date but it's definitely more a lilac than a pink. Still gorgeous though and very summery!

What's In My Bag?

I'm a nosey person and really love watching the video's/reading the blogs of the 'Whats in my bag tag' so decided to do it. My bag is, unfortunately, not interesting in the slightest but here we go!

My bag is a Fat Face one (one of my favourite shops). It was £23 and I think it's in the current collection. It's an open satchel style and rather large, all the bigger for me to fill with more and more crap haha.

Contents:

• Italian black leather FiloFax-A gift from my dad a few years ago. It's A5 in size so pretty big but I need it as always jotting things down in there.
• Eden Project pen.
• Purse. This is from the shop White Stuff (another of my favourites) It's brown leather with a flowery fabric design inside.Love this purse!
• Soap & Glory's Hand Food. My go-to hand cream.
• Tangle teezer pink hair brush.
• Topshop umbrella.
• Paracetemol.
• Polos.
• Olbus oil nasal inhaler (i always have a bunged up nose!)
• Lacoste Touch of Pink perfume. I call this my 'work perfume' as it's always the one I wear to work and have it in my bag for a quick freshen up.
• MAC Hue lipstick.
• Chanel Boy lipstick.
• Revlon lip butter in Macaroon.
• Avoplex-to-go cuticle oil.
• Clinique Blusher in Peach in a pinch.

I'm forever changing which bag I'm using and which purse I'm using so, this isn't a very true picture as it seems to be a lot lighter than usual!

Thanks for reading.

Photo A Day May #15

Love...

I have two of these cute hanging wooden thingies above my bed; a pink one and a blue one (of course!) I love little trinkets like these and what symbolises 'Love' more than a wooden heart?!

Cornwall: Beautiful Porthtowan sunset.

I used to live in this surfers-paradise beach village. My favorite place in Cornwall and one day, I will live here again. We had dinner here last night and managed to eat outside in front of the beach at sunset, can you get better than this?

Photo A Day May #17

A Snack...

Fruit

I try and snack on healthy things so fruit is always something I grab if I'm feeling peckish. Other favourite snacks are humous & carrot sticks. Or if I'm having a bad day-chocolate!

REVIEW: Bioderma.

L-R: Bioderma 100ml & 500ml.

My Perfume Collection.

I don't have a huge perfume collection, but the majority of scents I do have, I've repurchased over and over. There is no better thing than getting perfume as a gift-it's just brilliant! Especially as most perfume is ridiculously expensive. Here is most of my current collection...

L-R: Gucci 'Guilty Intense', Cacherel 'Amor Amor', Hugo Boss 'Deep Red', Jo Malone 'Wild Bluebell, Lacoste 'Touch of Pink', J-Lo 'Miami Glow', Kylie Minogue ' Sweet Darling', Elie Saab 'Le Parfum'.

Gucci 'Guilty Intense'-Not overly impressed with this, was lusting after it for a while and finally got round to purchasing it a few months ago after smelling a sample in a magazine. It's pretty expensive; around £57 for 50mls. It's a very sophisticated scent but definitely suited for evening wear but the staying power is not great. The sample I smelt before hand seemed much more intense than the actual perfume in the bottle. Still a lovely smell but probably won't be buying this again.

Cacherel 'Amor Amor'-I've worn this fragrance for years! It used to be my going out scent and all my friends knew me by this smell. It's very deep and 'romantic'?! and extremely girlie. I've gone through loads of bottled of this and will always wear it, I never get fed up of it. Not a mega expensive perfume, usually around £17 for 30mls. 

Hugo Boss 'Deep Red'-This is quite a popular scent and I really like it. Deep Red is a floral/fruity/woody fragrance and again, more suited for going out in the evening. Retails at around £30 for 30mls. Well worth a purchase though.

Jo Malone 'Wild Bluebell'-My new current fave perfume. Jo Malone is famous for luxurious (and unique) scents and candles. A very expensive brand but well worth all the money I'd say. I also love the fact that when you buy something form the official website you get 2 free samples of other perfumes. This smells like walking through a wood full of bluebells on a summers day. Very fresh and floral and the staying power is pretty impressive. Jo Malone is not particularly well known (definitely not in Cornwall anyway) so I feel quite special when I wear this! This is retailed at £36 for 30mls, but comes beautifully gift-wrapped.

Lacoste 'Touch of Pink'-I think everyone has owned this perfume at one time or another! I wore it non-stop when I was about 18 and have recently started buying it again. It's delicately floral and will carry you throughout summer months, perfect for any occasion. I keep it in my handbag as it's great as a scent top-up at anytime of the day. Very reasonably priced at £49 for 90mls in Boots.

J-Lo 'Miami Glow'-This was my teenage scent! And I still use it. It's (for me) the ultimate summer smell. Think sun-tan cream, sea, sand, cocktails, sunset s and you have the scent. It's very sweet and doesn't last long but I don't care. It's cheap and cheerful! Retails at £27.95 for 100mls at cheapsmells.co.uk.

Kylie Minogue 'Sweet Darling'-I actually photographed the wrong bottle here! The one pictured is 'Darling' But the one I'm going to talk about is 'Sweet Darling'. I find this a really hard scent to describe, but first off, it's sweet, really sweet. Luckily I love sweet smells. Blended with freesia, passion fruit, sandalwood, pachouli and vanilla. I usually wear this in winter as it's a very warming smells. But I can't tell you enough about it, it's just fab and my all-time favouite perfume. And a bonus is it's probably one of the cheapest in my collection; £13.50 for 30mls from cheapsmells.co.uk. Can't fault that price!.

Elie Saab 'Le Parfum'-My newest addiction; this scent is very sophisticated and I feel all grown up and feminine when I wear it. The bottle is just so sweet and delicate; unlike the smell. It's very floral and quite strong-i find it's the longest lasting scent in my collection. I really love this perfume for everyday use (even though I tend to save it for special occasions) & can see myself wearing it for years. Quite pricey though at £38 for 30mls from Boots.

Photo A Day May #16

What You're Reading....

I've always been an avid reader and found there is nothing better than getting snuggled up with a good book. I love getting lost in a book and becoming 'friends' with the characters. Chris bought me a Kindle last year for my birthday, and being a bit of a technophobe I was slightly worried but now I absolutely love it! It's compact, hand-bag size and the amount of books you can hold on it is crazy! You can download pretty much any book, magazine or newspaper you can think of and almost instantly it's there in the screen waiting for you to read! Technology, eh?!

Currently reading Dawn French's 'A Tiny Bit Marvellous' 

So far, not that into it, but we shall see!

NOTD: Nails Inc 'Chelsea Square'

I'm not one for glittery nail polishes usually, it looks too 'messy'. But when doing a bit of online window shopping I could not stop looking at the Nails Inc 'Vintage Rose Collection'. A trio of pinky polishes, a collection beautiful enough to make any beauty-junkie go 'ooooooooh!'.

Vintage Rose Collection £19.14 from QVC

Bruton Street is a dusky pink shade, subtle but very beautiful. No shimmer or glitter in this shade.

Chelsea Square is one of Nails Inc 3D Glitter shades. The most dense glitter polish I've ever seen and in a gorgeous mid-pink shade.

Brompton X is a shimmery baby pink colour; my least favourite in the collection, but my opinion could change once its on my nails!

First up to try was, of course, Chelsea Square. I couldn't wait to try this baby out! But unfortunately my excitement was short lived. Firstly, the formulation was very gloopy, I understand that its glitter polish so it's never gonna be a smooth consistency but I just found it really hard to apply. And secondly, the time it takes to dry is about 4 times as long as any other nail polish! I got so bored waiting for it to dry.

Overal, I'm not really impressed with this polish. Although I'm not too bothered as I'm not a glittery nail polish person. 

Here's what it looks like on my nails...

I used OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat and treatment, Then 2 coats of the Chealsea Square. Followed by a coat of my all-time favourite top coat; Seche Vite.

3D Glitter polishes-worth all the hype? I don't think so! But looking forward to testing out Bruton Street. Review to follow.

Photo A Day May #14

Grass...

A snippet of my garden.

Ps...

Bit depressed about this weather! After two days of glorious sunshine, how is there this much rain and cloud?! Cornish weather for ya ;)

Photo A Day May #13

Mum.....

Mum

This is me and my mummy at my brothers wedding near Liverpool last year. I don't see her very much as 5 years ago she moved to Menorca. But I go out there when I can as I miss her very much! 

Love You Mothergoose.

Cornwall: An Evening in Mevagissy.

I currently live in mid-cornwall (originally from south-west) and there are some really pretty fishing villages near where I live. Mevagissy is one of those. A small quaint village with tiny cottages and very narrow roads, with amazing sea food restaurants to eat in! Chris & I fancied dinner out tonight (which we don't often do) and decided on Mevagissy. We went to a gorgeous little restaurant called Salamanders and had a very luchious dinner. I had Hot Crab Pot for starters then Steak, garlic butter (yes I stink now!) and goats cheese for mains, along with a sneaky glass of rose ;)

We even managed a romantic walk along the harbour to the sea afterwards! Here are some shots...

In the car, rockin' the Vegas Volt.

Chris by the harbour. don't he look lovely?!

What a lovely evening! I love living in Cornwall <3

Thank you for reading!

Cornwall: The Eden Project.

So, this place is known world-wide. And so it should be, it's so amazing. I'm lucky enough to live just 5 minutes away from The Eden Project and have been there loads of times. People travel from all over the world to come here and I feel very privileged to live so nearby and to go there so often.
I was at work today and managed to get down there and it was the most glorious day weather wise and I had such a lovely afternoon at Eden.
I really think everyone should come here at least once in their life, its one of the most beautiful places I've ever been & it's quite eye-opening. The food is to delish and the gift shop is to die for! So many lovely hand-made natural goodies to spend your pennies on!

The sun was shining very bright today and it made the place even more enjoyable. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Some beautiful flowers at the entrance (you see a lot of flowers at Eden!)

The first glimpse of the biomes when you walk into Eden-a pretty special sight.

Lunch time! Mozerella & tomato bruschetta with salad & potatoes-yum!

Lavender Ice-cream...ORGASMIC!

Sitting in the gardens with a biome behind me.

Shot of Eden from the bridge.


You can check out Eden and all the amazing things they do here.

I really, truly adore this place and can't wait for some warmer weather to spend some more wonderful days here.

Photo A Day May #12

Something that makes you happy....

Chris <3

Lot's of things in my life make me happy. But this rather handsome man makes me VERY happy indeed.

Photo A Day May #11

Kitchen...

This is my kitchen! We live in an old cornish cottage and the kitchen is quite small and a galley kitchen. It does the job though and I love it, just behind where I stood to take the photo is a walk-in pantry where we keep all the food :)

HAUL: Liz Earle

I remember when I was first introduced to Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, when no-one else had heard of it....now it's a worldwide phenomenon and everyone is bringing our hot-cloth cleansers. I'v used it before and was really impressed, I can't remember if I saw a massive difference in my skin but it made my skin feel very lovely!

My skin has been so bad recently. I never suffered with bad skin when I was younger but now, my hormonal monthly breakouts are pretty hideous! So, back I go onto good ol' Liz. I purchased a set from QVC (buy it here) for £45.51as I needed some new facial moisturiser too. This kit comes with;

The infamous Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Skin Repair Moisturiser (normal/Combination skin)

These are all pretty big sizes so I'm expecting them to last quite a while, and 4 muslin cloths are also provided. I've not tried the moisturiser before so interested to see what it does for my skin but I really love the skin tonic. A water toner/refresher that smells luscious! I usually use this wit a cotton pad after cleansing.

How to Fix Damaged Nails ft. OPI

I've always had really rubbish nails, but it never really bothered me until I hit about 19 when I discovered beautiful nail colours. I started having gel nail extensions for a year or so but it got so expensive that I stopped but was left with my old rubbish nails. I don't really drink milk so therefore don't have a lot of calcium in my diet but even after taking loads of different supplements discovered it wasn't anything to do with my diet-my nails are just crap!

My mother-in-law introduced me to OPI's Nail Envy a few years back as she swears by it. I gave it a go and was amazed with the results, and have re-purchased several times. It's an on-going nail strengthening treatment (as well as a base & top coat) that looks just like a nail polish but I swear, it does amazing things! Unfortunately, I got lazy and didn't keep up with applying the nail treatment. So, I've decided to try again and really go for it this time (as I may have made a sneaky Nails Inc purchase ;)) Here is the before shot of my nails:

As you can see, my nails are horrid; they are dry and flakey and any nail polish just looks dreadful on them and doesn't stay for very long without flaking off along with my natural nail.

This is the Nail Envy I will be using. It's the original formula, it also comes in matte. I will be using it along side the OPI Avoplex cuticle oil for some extra nourishment. OPI suggests using it on bare nails and the initial treatment of 2 coats and the every other day, add an extra coat. After a week remove all nail polish then start treatment again from scratch. I have just given myself a lushious manicure and applied the initial 2 layers of Nail Envy. This set that I purchased is available from QVC for £16.75. Well worth it in my opinion.

Watch this space for beauuuuutiful nails!

Photo A Day May #10

HAUL: MAC Cosmetics

So, I used to have i think 3 MAC products; 2 lip products and a eye shadow palette (which I hardly ever use) So I have saved up my pennies and bought a few new bits and pieces to try out, most of which I have read loadsss of reviews on and lusted after for quite some while.

'Myth' Lipstick

'Myth' is a satin formula and (i think) very pigmented. It's quite often likened to 'Hue'. However, I feel that hue is a much easier colour to work with as it has a very soft pink undertone. Myth is a more beige tone and quite hard to wear;

'Myth' Lipstick

I still really like this shade and will definitely wear it, maybe when I'm a bit more tanned though!

'Vegas Volt' Lipstick

I am IN LOVE! This is a gorgeous coral, orangey (yet reasonably subtle) red shade. I really like wearing coral shades-and this is perfect. I will get a lot of use from this baby! My favourite MAC lipstick shade so far. It's an amplified formula, so pretty pigmented.

In general, very happy with the lipstick purchases!

MAC Zoomlash in 'Zoomblack'

I've never tried a MAC mascara yet. So can't really comment on this yet but look out for a review soon.

Cremeblend Blush in 'Something Special'

Again, I've never tried a MAC blush before either so looking forward to trying this out. Above is the swatch and I think it looks really pretty, and very subtle. It's a dusty pink shade and I think that most skin toned could get away with wearing this. Will post a pic once I've used it properly.

Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft & Gentle'

VERY EXCITED about this! I've heard so much about this wonderful product, the famous mineralize skinfinish. A finely-milled highlighter with a peachy undertone. I love dewy highlighted make-up looks and thats generally how I like to wear make-up so can't wait to try this, mainly on my cheekbones I think. I know Louise (sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.co.uk) swears by this product and it always looks beautiful on her.

Finally, I picked up a couple of MAC sprays. Those being 'Fix+' and 'Charged Water' hydrating mist. Haven't had chance to try these out properly yet but the charged water smells divine and I'll definitely be carrying this around in my bag to freshen up my make-up and just give me a happy boost!

Whooo! lots of goodies to be trying out. very excited! Keep you're eyes peeled for review & looks with these products.

All these products were purchased with my own funds from the MAC website (because Cornwall is rubbish and doesn't have a MAC counter at all!)

Cornish Beauty